A proposal for a statewide earthquake early warning system could get a boost from Long Beach.

The City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to have its State Legislation Committee consider supporting Senate Bill 135 by State Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Los Angeles, that would spend an estimated $80 million to install a network of earthquake sensors to give warning of a seismic event.

The resolution was authored by Councilwoman Gerrie Schipske and co-sponsored by Councilman James Johnson.

Earthquake prediction systems have worked in the past decade, most notably in Japan, which was struck by a magnitude-9.0 earthquake off its northeast coast in 2011.

Then, a public emergency alert went out eight seconds after sensors detected the temblor, interrupting TV and radio programs and sending text messages to cell phones.

Millions received as many as 40 seconds of warning. A dozen trains were stopped in their tracks and saved from derailment.

In California, a prototype earthquake detection network gave 35 seconds notice to seismologists in Pasadena for a March 11, magnitude-4.7 earthquake centered in the Riverside County desert.

A study by the U.S. Geological Survey said there is a 67 percent probability of a magnitude 6.7 or larger earthquake occurring in the greater Los Angeles area within the next 30 years.